Radiator Grille for a Vehicle

ABSTRACT

A tractor comprising a hood having a radiator grille, at least one front light assembly and a support designed to keep the front light assembly detached from the grille.

The present invention relates to an agricultural vehicle, such as atractor or earthmoving vehicle, with an improved front end.

The front end of a tractor comprises a hood; two front wheels, e.g.projecting from opposite sides of the main body; and an internalcombustion engine and engine cooling circuit radiator under the hood.The tractor also comprises an operator cab; and a rear end comprisingrear wheels driven by the internal combustion engine, and a powertake-off also driven by the internal combustion engine to operatevarious implements, such as a plough or a baler.

A tractor may also be equipped with a front-end loader, the movable armsof which are interposed between the hood and the front wheels; in whichcase, the front light assemblies must be designed to avoid interferingwith the movement of the arms.

Modern tractors are equipped with a lambda probe to reduce harmfulemissions, and which results in both overpressure at the exhaust and anincrease in engine operating temperature. It is important to note thattractors call for special ventilation, on account of their low operatingspeed, which means high-speed air flow cannot be relied on to cool theengine.

It is therefore vital to improve performance of the cooling circuit totake into account the slow operating speed of the vehicle and so preventoverheating of the internal combustion engine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A non-limiting embodiment of the present invention will be described byway of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a view in perspective of a tractor in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 shows a view in perspective of a detail of the FIG. 1 tractor;

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the FIG. 2 detail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a tractor 1 comprising a front end 2, a cab 3, and a rearend 4. Front end 2 includes a supporting structure 6 to which two frontdirectional wheels 5 are connected; an internal combustion engine and aradiator (not shown); and a hood 7 completely covering at least theradiator.

Cab 3 comprises a canopy 8 to protect the driver; and a number of lights9 on the roof of canopy 8.

Rear end 4 comprises two rear wheels 10; and a power take-off (notshown) interposed between rear wheels 10 and connected to the internalcombustion engine to drive various implements, such as a plough, or ahydraulic circuit outlet for driving various implements, such as a diskharrow.

FIG. 2 shows hood 7 of tractor 1 in more detail. Hood 7 comprises aframe 11 hinged to a support fixed with respect to structure 6; aradiator grille 12 fitted to frame 11; and two front light assemblies13, 14 also fitted to frame 11. Hood 7 is movable between a closedposition, in which it covers at least the radiator of tractor 1, and anopen position allowing operator access to the radiator and at least partof the internal combustion engine, at least for maintenance purposes.

Hood 7 is symmetrical with respect to the central vertical plane oftractor 1. More specifically, frame 11 comprises a front crosspiece 15,from which two laterally S-shaped longitudinal members extend towardsthe cab 3 of the tractor. Starting from front crosspiece 15, eachlongitudinal member comprises a first horizontal portion 16, a slopingportion 17, and a second horizontal portion 18. The second horizontalportion 18 is spaced both vertically and longitudinally apart from thefirst horizontal portion 16, so that sloping portion 17 forms asubstantially obtuse angle with both horizontal portions 16 and 18.Second horizontal portion 18 is fitted with a hinge connected to thesupport fixed with respect to structure 6, such that the hood can rotatearound the hinge from the closed position to the open position or viceversa.

Grille 12 is convex in shape, and defines a front face 19, a first andsecond lateral face 20, and a top face 21.

Grille 12 is preferably continuous, i.e. with seamless faces 19, 20, 21.The grille 12 comprises an edge 22 connected to frame 11, the edge 12roughly having the same shape as at least the longitudinal members 16,17, 18. and the grille 12 is bounded longitudinally, on the side closestto the cab 3, by a crosspiece 23 interposed between horizontal portions18. Alternatively, grille 12 can be formed not as a one-piece body, butfrom a number of grille portions placed on a frame and then joinedtogether.

Unlike other lights, such as lights 9, which are fitted to the canopy 8or the rear end 4, front light assemblies 13, 14 are fitted on the frontend 2 of the tractor 1 and, according to the present invention, aresupported so as to be detached from grille 12. More specifically, frontlight assemblies 13, 14 are designed so as to be smaller than theoverall size of frame 11, at least when viewed from the front (as shown,for example, in FIG. 3).

In a preferred embodiment, each front light assembly 13, 14 comprises aheadlight 24, a bottom arm 25, and a top arm 26. Headlight 24 isconnected to respective longitudinal end portions of bottom arm 25 andtop arm 26, so that, by virtue of the weight of the headlight at leastin static conditions, compression is exerted on bottom arm 25, and pullon top arm 26, i.e. bottom arm 25 acts as a strut, and top arm 26 as astay. Bottom arm 25 and top arm 26 therefore enclose and preferablyfollow the outline of grille 12.

Top and bottom arms 26, 25 are preferably also detached from grille 12thus providing an area between the grille 12 and the top and bottom arms26, 25 which allows air to flow in this area. Top and bottom arms 26, 25are preferably connected to the ends of sloping portion 17 so thatheadlight 24 projects longitudinally. Moreover, top and bottom arms 26,25 converge at a portion 27, which supports headlight 24 and has a rearside 28 facing grille 12 and, like the area between the grille 12 andthe top 26 and bottom arms 25, defining with it an airflow channel 29.

As shown in FIG. 2, at least a longitudinal end portion 30 of portion 27is located frontwards of both front face 19 and crosspiece 15.

In actual use, when tractor 1 is moving, grille 12 has an ample surfacearea for surrounding air to cool the radiator. More specifically, aircan also flow to the radiator along channel 29 behind headlights 24 andeven behind the top and bottom arms 26, 25 of the light assembly 13, 14.

The hood assembly has the following advantages:

the surface area of grille 12 is such as to assist airflow and moreeffectively cool the radiator by providing a cooling area which is notinterrupted or covered by the assembly of headlights 24 into the outersurface of the hood;

headlights 24 are mounted within the dimensions of the frame 11 of thetractor hood 7, to prevent interference with the movement of frontimplement arms.

1) A tractor comprising a hood having a radiator grille; and at leastone front light assembly, the tractor further comprises a supportconfigured to keep said at least one front light assembly detached fromsaid grille. 2) A tractor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising thesupport having a bottom arm and a top arm; said bottom arm and top armconnected about said at least one front light assembly and secured sothat said bottom arm is subjected to compression and said top arm issubjected to pull by the weight of said at least one front lightassembly in static conditions. 3) A tractor as claimed in claim 2,wherein the top and bottom arms converge at a portion, thus envelopingthe at least one front light assembly. 4) A tractor as claimed in claim2, wherein the support further comprises an end portion connecting thetop and bottom arms with each other. 5) A tractor as claimed in claim 1,wherein the radiator grille comprises a front face, two lateral facesand a top face. 6) A tractor as claimed in claim 5, wherein said grilleis seamless. 7) A tractor as claimed claim 1, wherein the tractorfurther comprises a frame, said support connected to said frame to keepthe at least one front light assembly detached from the grille. 8) Atractor as claimed in claim 7, wherein the frame comprises a frontcrosspiece, from which two laterally S-shaped longitudinal membersextend. 9) A tractor as claimed in claim 8, wherein each longitudinalmember comprises a first horizontal portion, a sloping portion, and asecond horizontal portion, the second horizontal portion being spacedboth vertically and longitudinally apart from the first horizontalportion such that the sloping portion forms a substantially obtuse anglewith the first and second horizontal portions. 10) A tractor as claimedin claim 9, wherein the frame further comprises a crosspiece interposedbetween the second horizontal portions of the two laterally longitudinalmembers, the grille fixedly connected to the crosspiece. 11) A tractoras claimed in claim 7, wherein said grille comprises an edge of roughlythe same geometry as said frame. 12) A tractor as claimed in claim 7,wherein said support and said at least one front light assembly, whenviewed from the front, are smaller in overall size than said frame. 13)A tractor as claimed in claim 7, wherein said frame is hingeablyconnected to the tractor. 14) A tractor as claimed in claim 1, wherein,said grille is convex; and said support follows the convex shape of thegrille. 15) A tractor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support andthe at least one front light assembly have a surface facing said grilleand defining, with the grille, an airflow channel. 16) A tractor asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said support has an arm extending upwardlyand rearward from a front portion of the hood, the light assemblyconnected to the arm forward of the grille, the arm having a rear sidefacing the grille and forming an airflow channel there between.